Tender meat powder, also known as papain, is a safe, hygienic, non-toxic food additive that will not produce any bad taste. It can decompose collagen and elastin with complex structure in meat connective tissue and muscle fiber, increase the water absorption of protein, and greatly improve the tenderness of meat raw materials.

The protease preparation in tender meat powder is made of papain, bromelain or Aspergillus oryzae protease. As we know, muscle tissue contains collagen, which is a kind of fibrin. The protein molecule has strong mechanical strength because of the existence of cross-linking bonds. There are two kinds of cross-linking bonds: one has the characteristics of heat resistance; The other has the property of heat resistance. There are many heat-resistant cross-linking bonds in the collagen of young livestock and poultry muscles, which will break when heated, so the muscles of young livestock and poultry are easy to soften after cooking. However, there are many heat-resistant cross-linking bonds in the collagen of old livestock and poultry muscles, which are not easy to break after heating, so the muscles of old livestock and poultry are not easy to soften after cooking. Treating the muscles of old livestock and poultry with tender meat powder (usually smearing the slurry of tender meat powder on the surface of the meat block or soaking the meat block) can hydrolyze the collagen in this kind of muscle, make the muscle soft and easy to cook.